Spain's artistic swimming revolution faces Russian tradition at European Championships in Paris

Spain's golden run

Spain arrives in Paris riding the best form in its history. At the 2025 World Championships in Singapore, the team collected nine medals (three gold, two silver, four bronze), its largest ever world championship haul. That performance followed a dominant display at the 2025 European Championships in Funchal, where Spain won 11 medals (five gold, three silver, three bronze). A strong World Cup showing in Pontevedra in June 2026 confirmed the upward trend. Coach Andrea Fuentes, who took over after the Paris 2024 Olympics, has reshaped the squad around a philosophy of artistic risk and rhythmic contrast.

We have bet on two different things. One is rhythmic contrast, because lately all the countries go full speed, without pause, and I wanted to put pieces of a powerful, direct, sustained gaze, even when the moment is slow, to contrast with speed and give it a different touch. The other is that for the first time we have achieved that there is not a single moment that is not visual.

Russia's return under Romashina

Russia, absent from major events due to sanctions after the invasion of Ukraine, returns to the international stage without national symbols. The team is now led by Svetlana Romashina, the most decorated artistic swimmer in history with seven Olympic golds, 21 world titles and 13 European crowns. She replaced Tatiana Pokrovskaya, who stepped down after three decades, citing a loss of interest under the new rules. Russia has already impressed in World Cup events and junior championships, beating China in some disciplines. Fuentes acknowledged the challenge: "We have missed them a little all these years, even though with them the result is much harder to achieve."

Russia before didn't even look at us and now they copy some things from us.

Fuentes's counter-cultural strategy

Rather than trying to match Russia's classical ballet precision, Fuentes has built a strategy on Spain's strengths: creativity, acrobatic difficulty, and emotional impact. She describes it as going in the opposite direction. The acrobatic routine is set to Rosalía's song "Berghain", a choice that caused a stir in the sport for its dramatic possibilities. Fuentes said the track had to be used by Spain: "We carry it in our blood. There is no one in the world who can do it better than us." The routine is designed to be explosive and full of contrast, with the team spread further apart to create more visual moments, even at the cost of added difficulty.

I listened to the album and said: 'I can't not do it!' I said: 'Berghain has to be used and Spain has to do it.'

The road to Los Angeles

This European Championships, held at the Paris Aquatic Centre that hosted the 2024 Olympics, is the first major test in the second half of the Olympic cycle. Artistic swimming events run from 31 July to 5 August, followed by swimming competitions from 10 to 16 August. For Spain, the goal is not just medals but to push the sport beyond its traditional boundaries. Fuentes has spoken of a "much bigger mission" to inspire, while also keeping an eye on the 2027 World Championships in Budapest and the ultimate target of a first Olympic gold for Spain at Los Angeles 2028.

A clash of philosophies

The Spain-Russia duel is framed as a contest between innovation and tradition. Russia's school produces technically flawless, almost identical swimmers, while Spain bets on artistic identity and acrobatic height. Fuentes is clear that trying to beat Russia at its own game would be a mistake. Instead, she wants to force the competition onto terrain where Spanish swimmers excel. The 2025 World Championships medal table, where Spain edged Russia by one medal, suggests the gap has narrowed.